Damn, do I love books. Love them. Love how they look, love the new paper smell, love all the delicious uncertainty of a novel's first sentence. So, I am going to try to note a writer or poet I'm reading once a month....
And this month, Susan Choi has won me over. I loved her multi-layered story American Woman, even though I hadn't heard much about it. In fact, I was only two the year most of the events framing the book took place (1974). In the book, Indiana born Choi tells the story of earnest Japanese-American anti-war activist Jenny Shimadada. But you don't need to be a fan of the nineteen seventies to want to know this woman and all her secrets. She weaves in and out of different worlds, nations, and "isms," always an outsider. There is a sudden, tense plot twist about the Patty Hearst kidnapping case, but in the end it's about this fascinatingly flawed, American character.
You've probably heard of Choi's first novel. She seems better known for that well reviewed story, The Foreign Student. I just started it and I am already taken in by the description of the Korean Father cleaning his books with a feather duster! :)
You can read Susan Choi's bio and find her book reviews via her publisher, HarperCollins.
I hope you are also having a winter full of good reads! I give away most of the books I acquire here, there's no space for them and it's fun to share. Hopefully by keeping a record I'll remember to promote a few good reads to my pals back home.
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